Sealed
by TapesAndRecords
Summary: "She gasps- the sound echoing round the walls-, and his head shoots up in alarm to see her step back suddenly." Tony. Ziva. A mission, a vault. No air. No light. One-shot.


Firstly, I know I haven't updated _Airport_ for ages, but there is a reason for that that I'll explain once I get the newest chapter up. Anyways.  
Okay so this is a little different. It's inspired by a similar scene in the TV series 'Ashes to Ashes', in which two characters find themselves in rather a similar situation. I just had to put Tony and Ziva in and see how they would react. Some of the dialogue is taken directly from that, if it sounds a little OOC. Time-wise, I don't know when it could be set. Probably before the end of Season 9, I guess, but it doesn't really matter. Enjoy, and let me know what you thought!

Disclaimer: You know you're obsessed with NCIS when you spend the whole of The Avengers chuckling because Iron Man's called Tony. (Also, _Ashes to Ashes_ isn't mine either. Terribly unfortunate.)

Listening to: Plainsong by The Cure.

**000000**

* * *

_She gasps- the sound echoing round the walls-, and his head shoots up in alarm to see her step back suddenly. The heavy door swings to, bolts clicking, and the room is plunged into impenetrable darkness._

* * *

The two of them walk down the winding corridors, one turn after another, noting the signs on the walls as they go. They reach their destination and she races ahead, keying in a code from the scrap of paper in her hand with a cool expression that defies her racing heart.  
A small hiss indicates the correct code, and they enter the vault silently.

Filing cabinet upon filing cabinet greet them, and he strolls ahead, pulling out drawers and rifling through folders without having a clue as to what he should be searching for.  
She keeps watch, eyes wide as she peeks through the gap between the wall and the open door, turning her head every now and then to check his progress.

But then, she looks at him for too long, and when she returns her gaze to its intended position, a man is patrolling outside.  
She gasps.  
The door clicks shut.  
It all goes dark.

* * *

"What the hell did you do, Ziva?" he yells, dropping the file as he searches his pockets for a light source. Finding a small flashlight- the Director took their cell phones- he frantically switches it on, only seeing her in the exact same position she'd been in before.

"I am sure it opens again," she says, the way her words go up at the end being the only thing betraying her theory.  
Reaching out, she grips the door handle and struggles to push it down. However, she does eventually, and he winces as he hears a distinct _click, click, clunk_.

"Erm..." she trails off, turning to face him with a pasty expression on her face.

"We're locked in, Zeev. That's it- I'm never taking another undercover assignment again."

* * *

She's paced the room five times in the last ten seconds- a feat his tired brain can't quite comprehend-, and she shows no signs of stopping. He, however, gives it two minutes before she succumbs to inevitable exhaustion and slides down against the wall, next to him.  
In reality, it's one minute and a half.

The flashlight stands upright, glaring toward the ceiling and reflecting off the metal, illuminating them somewhat adequately. It's fading fast, though, despite the fact that neither of them has admitted it yet. "Is it me, or is it getting hotter in here?" he asks to no one in particular, eyes staring at the odd shapes created by the torch on the ceiling. "Y'see, Ziva, that's the trouble with vaults. When they're sealed, they let in no sound- don't let it out, either-, no light, and no air. We've just got our breath left."

He knows she knows this, of course, but it's something he has felt necessary to voice.

* * *

The flashlight flickers three minutes later- and yes, she has been counting- and she reaches for it blindly. Her fingers brush his leg, but she continues without sparing a thought, instead wondering if she really did just hear a button coming undone.  
Hitting the torch, it comes back to life.

When she turns her head, she almost jumps out of her skin upon seeing her partner panting, open-shirted and partially bare-chested.  
"I'd rather suffocate than boil, Ziva." he tells her in a harsh whisper, and she blinks before realizing the temperature is just steadily increasing.

* * *

"I am _so _hot," she moans a minute or two later- he's not counting-, and he closes his eyes briefly. When he looks to his right once more, he feels his mouth dry up instantly, at the sight of his partner shimmying out of her top, exposing bare flesh and thin black straps.

"Oh God. If this is a test, I fear I may fail." he announces to the heavens, not caring who will hear.

* * *

"Do you think we will die, Tony?" she whispers to him after the flashlight has dimmed once more.

"Sometime we will, I guess." is his reply, harsh and cold-sounding, but it's all he dare offer right now.  
"I mean soon, Tony. In this vault, today."

"Vance said he'd search for us if we hadn't checked in by eight. It's past eight by now."

"I can't die... can I?" she asks brokenly, and he takes a shuddering breath to try and calm himself.

"C'mere." he orders gently, outstretching his arm and offering the only comfort he thinks he can right now.

She moves closer, heat transferring from body to body and just making them warmer, but he daren't let go right now.

* * *

The light has all-but-disappeared when the heat gets too much, and he shifts her on his shoulder in an attempt to shrug his shirt off altogether.  
He's about to give up all hope when he feels her hands rest over his, and feels her fingers drag along his arms as she pushes the garment off his shoulders, so intimately.  
He pulls her even closer then.

* * *

The flashlight burns out with an audible hiss, forcing them into heated darkness once more. The warmth is almost unbearable by now.

"Tony, I..." she starts into his shoulder, but he squeezes her gently and answers her with a surprisingly strong  
"I know."

And then the door opens, blinding light and sweet, sweet air billowing into the room.

They stand to face their Director, slowly reaching for their clothes, though, in all honesty, not caring anymore. After a moment or two of silence and a steely glare from their boss, they move hand-in-hand, and leave the vault, passing over the necessary file as they go.

And though the rumors have spread even by the time they return to the office; after they've cooled off significantly and have put the ordeal behind them, one thing's for sure.  
They both know.

**000000**

* * *

Feel free to drop me a review!


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